Uber has been ordered to pay $40 million following the 2023 death of a woman from Southern California who was hit by a vehicle after her rideshare driver dropped her off on a freeway.
Retired Judge Richard Stone, serving as an arbitrator, dismissed Uber’s claim that it simply functions as a technology platform and thus shouldn’t be liable for its drivers’ negligence. This was reported by Panish Shea Ravipudi, the law firm acting on behalf of the family of 23-year-old Emily Normandin-Parker.
Emily’s parents, Carol Normandin and Ken Parker, expressed their grief, stating, “Emily did everything Uber tells riders to do. She made the responsible choice not to drive, and we trusted Uber to get her home safely. That trust cost our daughter her life.”
Normandin-Parker, who graduated from UCLA in 2020, was out with friends in Costa Mesa when she requested an Uber to take her home to Laguna Beach, accompanied by her friend, Luna Moore. They booked the ride through the Uber app.
The situation took a tragic turn when Moore became ill in the vehicle, which led the driver, Vu Tran, to stop illegally at a “gore point” on State Route 73, rather than exiting at a safer location, according to the law firm.
Tran kicked both women out of the car and asked for a cleaning fee. Although Emily was intoxicated, she was left on the side of a busy freeway, where she was subsequently struck and killed. Instead of contacting emergency services, Tran exited the scene and requested a cleaning fee be charged to Emily’s account. Stone concluded that Tran “needlessly placed” the passengers in danger and prioritized his vehicle’s cleanliness over their safety.
In response to the ruling, Uber stated, “No family should have to suffer the loss of a child, and our thoughts continue to be with the Normandin-Parker family. We have continued to strengthen our approach to safety over the years, through new technology, policies and safeguards informed by safety experts, including additional guidance to drivers about avoiding drop-offs in unsafe locations. Our work on safety is never finished, and we will continue looking for ways to help make the platform safer.”
Prior to this incident, Tran had completed over 6,000 rides with a high rating, showing no prior issues related to unsafe drop-offs or injuries.
